Sunday, April 25, 2010

Am afraid this kind of thing has some drain on the person which onecannot easily quantify. So, sometimes one fails to live up toexpectations. And, one has to go back and replenish internalresources. Or, get to the point of recuperation, of re-building one'sself.

I have to live a normal life. And, more than that, I also have to livemy 'extra-legal' life. Not such a bad thing, but it is kind of wearingto the soul.

Guess what I am trying to say is that I went off and have not beenable to blog because I needed some internal repair mechanism to kickin. And, it is not fully done, so I cannot promise that I am back yet…

Thanks for the good wishes, thanks for the concern. Sorry that I wasnot able to come back and tell you that I am fine. I am. So is mypartner, who has been bringing back the concerns of many who haveexpressed them. We are fine. And safe.

But, I did, and still do need some time to repair some worn outpieces…. Will you bear with me?

Friday, April 9, 2010

Kampala - A Ugandan parliamentary panel said on Friday there is little backing for the country's widely-condemned anti-gay bill and no timetable had been set for its debate.

"I think it is useless and will not achieve what it intends to achieve," said Alex Ndeezi, a member of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee tasked with reviewing the bill before it can be presented to the house.

-----

The panel's chairman Stephen Tashyoba said the draft law was not a priority.

"As far as I am concerned, we really have more urgent matters to discuss like electoral reforms, which are already behind schedule," he said.

- AFP

Wow! The views expressed in that brief report are almost revolutionary. You mean killing Uganda's homosexuals is no longer a priority of Uganda's Parliamentarians?

I salute you, Mr Journalist and Christian. Because, the utter confusion of your logic is only beaten by the fact that you can get it all together onto a sheet of paper coherently. That is, your confusion. Maybe it is a trick of the mind and you are actually a genius writer? Or a genius thinker?

Here is the article in the Monitor. Indeed, they are blind, but they clearly cannot see. [shake of the head]

I have re-read it. And, I still cannot make up my mind..... Seems as if the guy is a 'good' Christian, who is trying to give himself a pass to not supporting the bill? Well, I will just decide that he is a genius, and I a minnow who doesnt understand him at all...!

--

Maybe, to the condenscending Christian above, I should send this article about our very own private demons.

SOUTH AFRICA – 09 April 2010:Jon Qwelane's appointment as the new High Commissioner in Uganda has been confirmed, leaving much speculation about the hate speech case brought against him by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) last year.

Johannes van Niekerk, Counselor of the South African High Commission in Uganda confirmed his appointment while the Ugandan embassy stated "We can confirm that there is a new high commissioner but we are not sure on the name."

Van Niekerk added, "We are still waiting for him to hand over his credentials to Mr Museveni, he should assume duties in a month or so.

Of course, there is no reason to worry about the guy's feeling at home. First, Ssempa will get a breakfast appointment, since he also believes what he wrote...

'Call me, names but gay is not okay," where he boldly expressed sheer hatred of gay people saying they are "degradation of values and traditions", also associating homosexuality to bestiality,

You know what they say of 'birds of a feather?'... [snicker, will Ssempa all of a sudden find that he doesnt really love the new South African High Commissioner? Will he deny writing an 'open letter' to Zuma, welcoming the new ambassador, and threatening sanctions if he was not the one appointed?]

On a lighter note, the National Association of the Social Workers of Uganda came out with a lunatic statement supporting the bill. Condemnation was not long in coming. The International Federation has already condemned them. Now, here is a statement from the Canadian Association.

The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) strongly condemns the Anti-Homosexuality Bill currently before the Ugandan Parliament and firmly rejects the position taken by the National Association of Social Workers of Uganda (NASWU) to support the bill.

CASW condemns any move that perpetuates and advances positions on homosexuality that run contrary to the principles and values of the social work profession and international conventions and treaties. Specifically, social workers do not tolerate discrimination based on age, abilities, ethnic background, gender, language, marital status, national ancestry, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or socio-economic status.

"CASW cannot go far enough in condemning these actions," said CASW President Darlene MacDonald. "Upholding basic human rights is not an option for social workers, but rather an ethical responsibility. The CASW Code of Ethics commits social workers to upholding human rights as enshrined in Canadian law as well as to international conventions on human rights created or supported by the United Nations."

The national Ugandan thing? It was lunacy. Of the highest order. Which makes me ask the pertinent question, Why did it occur?

Now, I do have to run.

First, I figure out the title of the post though. Which means re-reading it....!

I sometimes wonder why we do have allies who are straight. I don't question my lack of courage…. I mean, I might be a mouse, but when I am in a corner, and fighting a lion, I hope against hope and fight with the desperation of the one who has nothing else to lose. Straight allies? They lose everything, almost, like Ssenyonjo, just because they identify in the same cause with us.

He is an elderly man. In his old age he made a stand on principle, and the his world collapsed around him. Courage? I hope I once get to be that courageous when it is not on MY own behalf.

I have listed the reasons. Not very strategic to say these things, but… I am also a Ugandan. There is a palsy around corruption in Uganda at the moment.

The Vice-President has been netted by a Parliament committee in a corruption scandal which would tear down any government. So has the Minister of Defence, and others. And, what does the President do? Claim that the opposition would be even more corrupt! In other words, bear with us. We are bad, but, you don't really want any worse?

Of course the populace doesn't believe in that. So, with frustration turning into spitting on the president in public (Why the hell is he so openly fighting one tribal group?), it was necessary to have a uniting cause, behind the ruling party. So, the anti-homosexuality bill. Popular? Of course. Quasi 'Private members', but actually all part of a big whole. Strategy backfired, and the president was caught up by the same fires that he had storked. What amazed me was the virtual hijacking of the country's foreign policy for the two months immediately after the bill was first tabled. Bahati, Buturo, Ssempa…. they were the official spokespeople, till the Foreign affairs ministry rebelled. So, a political purpose? Of course.

Wanna read more? Now is the point to accept that I picked the title off another's blog post. Which you can read here.

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Talk of redundant laws, but I didn't know that California still had a law for research into the causes of homosexuality, and its cure. And, of course the British had Section 28 which was repealed. Kind of puts the Bahati Bill into perspective. (Ahem). Real difference with Bahati? Genocide is not really politically correct! Poor Bahati- neither is it really Christian to advocate for incarceration of someone because they are having sex between men or between women in the privacy of one's house. Where went the Jesus's spirit of tolerance? Did Jesus actually want to take over Ceasar's mantle? Or not?

---

If you really want to read the stupidity of the Pastor wars that have been happening in Uganda, read this.

It was first in the red rug. I hate that piece of nonsense so much that I didn't quote it here. It is about Kayanja, who Ssempa and Co, the anti-sodomy pastors accuse of sodomy. And, then comes the rich story of Benny Hinn seeking divorce. The day before, the red rug ran a front page story accusing Benny Hinn of 'bonking' or 'being shafted' by a prominent Ugandan pastor. So, on the day that the article quotes, the anti-sodomy pastors (who are facing a court case of defarmation, for paying money to some boys to accuse Pastor Kayanja of sodomy), they were in high spirits. And, they were happily mentioning Kayanja as Benny Hinn's bunkmate.

Male and Kyazze, while at Mwanga II Court yesterday, shouted on top of their voices the name of the sodomised pastor as they held copies of yesterday's Red Pepper which carried a screaming headline 'BENNY HINN SODOMISED KAMPALA PASTOR'.

Pastor Male shouted: "We know him, we know the pastor who was sodomised. He is Pastor… Very soon his wife will also divorce him."

In an exclusive interview with this tabloid, Male revealed that he was not surprised to hear that Benny Hinn sodomised Pastor… because it was not the first time.

Frankly, these guys make me sick. Sick to my stomach that they are Ugandans and that they manage to get away with so much, because they are on an 'anti-homosexuality' campaign. Man, is there no decency? Lies, common smears, showing porn in church. All that is ok. And why? Because they are pastors. On an anti-sodomy witch hunt.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

I have been a little busy. Someone once asked me to bet whether or not the bill would become law. I informed him that I am working my damndest to make sure that that does not happen.

It is true.

But, that kind of thing draws me away from the blog. And, makes me try to draw in other allies, and see whether I can contribute to their efforts. Add mine to theirs. Multiply our efforts. That kind of thing.

Activist? Reluctantly, I will say I am. Damn, this bill has made me an activist, though I was once upon a time very reluctant to label myself so, even when I was doing all the 'relevant' things. Call it some 'un'-planned side-effects of the Bill.

I certainly hope it dies. But, even if it dies tomorrow, I am still faced with living my life as an 'out' gay man in Uganda. Can be tough.

Yesterday, taking an evening walk, came across a couple of guys who were walking just infront of us. Me and my man.

Voices were instinctively lowered as we passed by. And I, (of course), tried my damndest to hear what they were saying. Cant say I was blessed. They were talking of an acquitance of theirs who one thought was gay. And, he was informing the other 'in confidence', and the other's comments were crude and decidedly un-informed.

Cant say I was edified. Wished I heard not overheard. But, that is Uganda. That is my country. So, today I was talking to people and dared to say, 'I am a gay man,' and inside I was wincing. I think that was the very first time that I had said that voluntarily. Hey, the crowd was sympathetic…. Or, I would never have dared to have that happen…!

Now, you dare think that us gay supermen would be wholly involved in fighting the Bill?

Oh, No!

I know we are normal human beings. Despite the huge capacities that our detractors say we have to be evil and bring about the destruction of cities and nations.

But, we are depressingly normal.

Despite the bill, we play politics. We backbite each other, and we sometimes work for the very selfish reasons which shouldn't be in our best interest.

I admire professional gay activists. To lead gay people, even when the need is very clear cut and the danger a blade in the air, still we are human. Selfish.

The court case - which is rare in a country where most people charged with same-sex acts plead guilty due to lack of legal representation - has sparked intense public scrutiny and police crackdowns, increasing the risk of arrest and harassment for MSM, and decreasing their access to vital HIV prevention services.

"This case has put us in an awkward position in terms of our programming," said Gift Trapence, director of the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) a human rights organization.

"Police are more empowered to arrest people, so it is very hard for the MSM community to come to meetings. It's also become very hard even for the organization to distribute HIV/AIDS information [to them] because that will be regarded as promoting something illegal ... that's what the media and the church and the government officials are saying."

CEDEP is one of the few organizations working to prevent HIV among MSM in a country where many believe same-sex practices to be "un-Malawian" and "un-African". In 2008 research by the organization found that HIV prevalence among MSM was about 21 percent, almost double the national average of about 12 percent cited by UNAIDS.

The police are empowered indeed.

Sometimes it is good to lean back and relax in one's comfort zone and reflect how lucky one is. I am gay, and I am Ugandan.

But, I am free, and, though the bill is in the country's Parliament, it is not yet law.

Of course there are rumours of violence to me and family, but, I am still free. The Malawi guys are not free.

----

I have never understood some of the logic that people who hate gay people espouse about curing us.

Ever heard of the monstrosity of cure they call 'Curative Rape'?

Of course it is not a cure. It is degrading, it is a violation, it is something that is extremely bad. But, some people, even members of the families of gay people, arrange for 'curative rape' for gay family members.

If there is anything as cruel and degrading as this- maybe it is Ssempa pushing the anti-gay bill in Uganda, and Bahati saying it is in 'Defence of the family'

An annual report by the US State Department on human rights in Zimbabwe has said that gays and lesbians in the country face harassment and rape by people trying to 'cure' them.

It said that lesbians were sometimes raped, even by their family members, to try and turn them straight, while gay men were forced into heterosexual sex.

Associated Press reports that Amanda Porter, political officer at the US Embassy in Harare, said yesterday: "Some families reportedly subjected men and women to corrective rape and forced marriages to encourage heterosexual conduct."

Sunday, April 4, 2010

But, in this world of spin, do you think it impossible? Not in this world of spin. It is quite possible.

What set me off is someone who is bent on doing that. Over at the Throckmorton blog. Must say the guy isn’t really on friendly territory. But, he is doing some heavy lifting.

And, in this world of spin, even gay-porn-freak-show-Martin Ssempa PhD can easily become St. Martin. What really matters is enough credible people to come out and stake their reputations on him. The videos of him showing porn disappear, the world admits itself ‘relieved’ that he has ‘explained’ his actions. And, voila, it becomes St. Martin Ssempa, PhD.

Of course I would play the Devil’s advocate in that scenario. And, I would most likely be dismissed. For lack of credibility. Gay, non-Christian, embittered anti-religious person that I am.

Which reminds me, I thought I should make this post ‘Proffessional Christians’, but the beatification of Ssempa seemed a more interesting title.

Since April started, I have been amiss. Not posting.

Of course, my world has been moving on. And, it is. Not so?

The Pope, formerly Cardinal Ratzinger cannot shed his ‘Proffesional Christian’ title. He is first and foremost, a defender of the Church. And, he has defended it against accusations of pedophile priests, helped with ‘relocation’ of those who got caught, and delayed and held onto ‘trials’ in cases where upto 200 deaf boys were actually thought to have been abused by a single individual.

The Church, the Catholic church knew about it. And, Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict the ?? [I forget] was at the helm, in the office that denied a revealing court case of the priest so accused.

Do you think the Pope will say sorry?

No. I don’t think so. THE CHURCH MUST BE PROTECTED FROM EMBARASSMENT AT ALL TIMES.

Even at the expense of 200 deaf children abused by a priest that the church knew about. THE CHURCH MUST BE DEFENDED.

And, the Pope (Benedict the ???) is an excellent defender of the Church.

Do I think that he will get beatification? I am relatively sure he will. Sooner or later, I am relatively sure. So, is the world fair? Who ever told you to dream like so? Repeat after me, THE WORLD IS NEVER, EVER FAIR.

I knew of it before, but the full story as put here is kind of interesting. Factual, and reflects what makes me convinced that we gay people must continue fighting. The majority will never accept us… (tut tut tut, I am from Uganda, and, all that colours my thoughts!). They will seek many reasons, many of them religious, to make sure that we are a persecuted minority. Here is the story of what actually occurs when mob rule is law. And, the police etc, cannot stand for the right of a minority to do something as evil as meeting. They are gay, aren’t they? As Minister Nsaba-Buturo famously said, ‘Let homosexuals forget about Human Rights’. And, a reader here comments about his son’s defense of Ssempa and co. ‘They are doing the Lord’s Work.’

Police, management of two hotels in Surabaya, Indonesia, buckle to fundamentalist pressure

Published: Saturday, March 27, 2010 4:06 PM CDT

BY DOUG IRELAND

A large, well-organized mob of Islamist fundamentalists in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, on March 26 attacked an international conference led by ILGA-Asia, a branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association.

The mob used aggressive threats of violence to force police to ban the meeting and to intimidate two host hotels to expel conference participants.

Speaking by telephone from Surabaya, a city of 3 million that is the capital of East Java, ILGA’s co-secretary-general, Renato Sabbadini, told Gay City News that the mob, which grew from 50 to 150, invaded and occupied the Oval Hotel at around 1p.m, shortly after Friday morning prayer services in the city’s mosques had concluded.

According to Indonesian newspapers, the mob was organized jointly by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) –– which has a long history of attacking Indonesian LGBT people and was described by the Jakarta Post as a “radical” group of “hardline” fundamentalists –– and the Indonesian Council of Ulema, an association of Muslim clerics.

You do remember MombasaKenya, just a few weeks ago? Yes, we are at war. Overt, covert, it is war.

Be well.

Need to go out and explore the world. No petrol, for some reason of 'supply' that I cannot wrap my mind around. But, that is Uganda.

Ever thought of the shadow of self we all present to the world? Ever really thought about it? A politician has all this crafted image of himself, herself that they present to the world. Even a high profile sportsman like Tiger Woods. Yeah, I mean the public persona which went up in flames just a few weeks ago.

But, is this the kind of person that we really are?

Yet, begs the question, who are we?

Who is gayuganda?

The anonymity is a blessing and a curse. I can mouth off about a lot of things. Of course I can. And be rude to people I would never dream of being rude to in day to day life.

At the same time, I am constrained. There are certain things of beauty that I cannot reveal, or utter, or say on the blog.

Ssempa once said of us, me and my friends, that we are evil.

Ha!

Just because we are gay, we are evil. But, is that what we are?

The politics of prejudice are something that I have learnt to play. I am gay. So, to some I am totally evil. To others I cannot be what I am, or be what I am. Remember MP Benson Obua-Ogwal insisting that I cannot be a gay Ugandan? Seems awful, that kind of blindness.

On the Throckmorton Blog, I got into a cheeky exchange. I say Ssempa lies. Some guy believes, and has kind of felt in need of defending Ssempa.

That is actually a tough thing to do. Defending Ssempa. Especially against gug who comes out and points my grimy digit and say, Ssempa lies. I didn't know it was politically incorrect to say that. But, why not call a lie a lie if it is uttered like so? Especially when it is our Gay Porn Freak Show Pastor Ssempa….

Yet, is that who gug is?

Yesterday I was faced with the middle of our worlds, our realities. Was kind of surreal. When I say I don't believe, I tend to mean every syllable of that. But, some of us believe in the Christian, or moslem gods in Uganda. But, they also have a strong and abiding belief in the other gods. The traditional gods.

I was caught in the middle of the two sides, who were trying to decide what to do with a person who was sick.

The options? Very familiar to a Ugandan. A laying on of hands for prayer… That is what some people believe in. And, a strong faction of the group was of the view to bring in faith healers.

Others were for faith healers of another kind. A traditional witchdoctor. It is not so suprising that many nominal Christians do believe, and very strongly, in the efficacy of the African Witchdoctor, or traditional healer, or whatever you will call them.

The 'conventional' western medicine?

Sure. We all believe that it has a place in what we do. But, apparently, the biggest argument here was that, this particular ailment was not its forte.

So, what does a non-believer do, in such cases of conflict between believers? [grin]- Stand in the middle and listen and learn.

Life is pretty solid, pretty basic, here in Africa. I live a kind of rarefied existence, able to deep out of my reality, into the word of bytes and bits, and taste that which is happening in worlds far away from me. Which are my values? which values do I reject completely? Which do I embrace?

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Better use some of the blessing that I do actually have. Apparently, in the US, one of the Cardinals is blaming homosexuals for the fact that the Pope has been hiding paedophiles. How original! Maybe Steve Langa, Martin Ssempa and Bahati would give him lessons in what specifically to blame homosexuals for. Including terror, and other things. We are the original scapegoats. The new 'Jews', not so?

But, as a human being, I was thinking of the riot over 'Holy Week' that the Catholic church is facing. They are reacting like politicians, defensively. Interesting to watch. Logically, they should own up, and come groveling like the English King who had an archbishop killed, albeit unintentionally.

There is a groundswell of anger that I read in the comments of believers. Non-believers like me are like, 'I told you so,', vindicated.. But, true believers are betrayed.

So, will the Catholic church apologise?

Interesting wait I have on my hands.

In the rhetoric to condemn and defend the indefensible, I try to find a middle ground, where I can think without being overwhelmed by the vibes from left or right. Sure, we are all human beings. And, we all fail. So?

We fall, we pick ourselves up, we walk on. Big deal.

Someone has the bit in his mouth. No, not Tutu. But, seems those who think that misrepresenting the Bill is the way to spread mis-information. So, why don't they post the Bill to their websites? Uh?

Because they are lying. They know they are lying. But, to spin spin for spin's sake, they will lie through their Christian teeth, like Ssempa lies. Pretty damning in the way. So, if you hear of someone like Linda Harvey supporting the bill, take it out, and ask her whether she has read it. (Or, wait for her to confirm that she has, then take it out) and clause by clause, read it. After all, they are for truth, aren't they? Misrepresented? Ok, then link to the bill, and show how it has been misrepresented.

We have gone far. Actually, we have moved a lot since the bill became a Bill in the parliament of Uganda.

We have very far to go. Still.

But, that doesn't distract from how perfect, and imperfect our world is.

To all Christians, friends and foe out there, my wishes for you to have a good Easter holiday and prayers. [chuckle, chuckle, now I do remember that Ssempa did start off Lent showing gay porn in Church. On Ash Wednesday!!!!]

Some People never give up. So, they went ahead and cleaned this statement, and then told me that it is now okay to put it up.

So, here it is. And, have you ever heard of 'heterosexism'? Most people never have. It is when we look at things, and convince ourselves that they are heterosexual. Well, below the old new news is a link to a long story about even scientists being fooled by such a thing as 'sexing' birds.

First read this.

Leading African clergy, jurists and civil society groups call on Uganda to stop the Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Leading African clergy and prominent individuals, as well as more than 60 civil society and human rights groups from 10 sub-Saharan African countries have endorsed a statement calling on the President, Government and Parliament of Uganda to reject the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in its entirety.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill provides for severe punishment, inclusive imprisonment, for those engaging in same sex relations, as well as for members of the public who fail to report such activities to the authorities. The original draft also provides for the death penalty and life imprisonment. The Bill has already gone through the first reading in Parliament and is now before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee. "We are very concerned that it could become law within a few weeks or months", said Adrian Jjuuko, Coordinator of Uganda's Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law.

The statement has been endorsed by leading African clergy such as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, the current Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Reverend Dr. Thabo Cecil Makgoba and Canon Gideon Byamugisha of Uganda. Others endorsing the statement include Pius Langa, the former Chief Justice of South Africa, and other jurists, academics, truth commissioners and human rights activists.

In the declaration, the endorsing individuals and organizations reaffirm their commitment to the universality of the human rights of all persons. They note that "all forms of discrimination, in particular against vulnerable groups, undermine the human dignity of all in Africa". The statement declares that the Bill "promotes prejudice and hate and encourages harmful and violent action against marginalized groups in Africa".

"Civil society organisations throughout Africa are mobilizing to persuade Ugandan Parliamentarians to block this pernicious Bill", said Phumi Mtetwa, executive director of the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project in South Africa. Godwin Buwa, a lawyer with the Refugee Law Project in Kampala said that "if the Bill is passed, even in diluted form, it would constitute a massive setback for human rights in Africa".

The statement calls on African governments and the African Union to call on the President and Government of Uganda to withdraw the Bill and to respect the human rights of all in Uganda, without exception.

We, the individuals and organisations from African countries listed hereunder, recognise the universality of the human rights of all persons.

We affirm that the right of men and women to have same sex relationships is a fundamental human right.

We are further guided in the knowledge that all forms of discrimination, in particular against vulnerable groups, undermine the human dignity of all in Africa.

We are therefore profoundly disturbed by the nature, content and potential impact of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill ("the Bill") that was recently tabled in and is currently being considered by the Parliament of Uganda.

We believe that the Bill, if enacted, will cut deeply into the fabric of Ugandan society by–

· Violating the rights of an already vulnerable and severely stigmatised group of persons by attacking their dignity, privacy and other constitutionally protected rights;

· Disrupting family and community life by compelling everyone, by the threat of criminal sanction, to report those suspected of engaging in same-sex sexual activity;

· Seeking to withdraw Uganda from the family of nations by reneging on the country's international law obligations;

· Undermining public health interventions such as HIV prevention, treatment, care and support;

· Promoting prejudice and hate and encouraging harmful and violent action to be taken against those engaging in same sex relations.

We respectfully call on the Parliament of Uganda to reject the Bill in its entirety.

We also call on African governments and the African Union to call on the President and Government of Uganda to withdraw the Bill and to respect the human rights of all in Uganda, without exception.

Statement endorsed by:-

African personalities include:[1]

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu (former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Former Chairperson of the South African Truth & Reconciliation Commission, former General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize)

Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha, (Ordained Priest in the Church of Uganda, Recipient of the 2009 Niwano Peace Prize)

Bishop Jo Seoka (Bishop of Pretoria)

Pius Langa, (former Chief Justice of South Africa, Chancellor of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, former Chancellor of the University of KwaZulu Natal, founder member and former President of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADEL); co-founder of the Release Mandela Campaign (Natal); recipient of the Order of the Supreme Counselor of the Baobab: Gold)

Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza SC (Acting Judge of the CapeHigh Court, Member of the South African Judicial Services Commission, Member of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, former Commissioner of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, National Chairperson of Advocates for Transformation)

Reverend Bongani Blessing Finca (former Commissioner of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Provincial Electoral Officer for the Eastern Cape, South Africa)

Dr. A. Atia Apusigah (Department of African Studies, University for Development Studies, Ghana)

Yasmin Sooka (former Commissioner of the South African & Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, former Acting Judge of the High Court of South Africa, Director of the Foundation for Human Rights)

Kader Asmal, (Honorary Professor, University of the Western Cape; former South African Minister of Education, Barrister of Lincoln's Inn, London; former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Trinity College; founding member of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement, former Chairperson of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement, former member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress)

Dr. Alexander Lionel Boraine, (former President of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, Chairperson of the Mauritian Truth & Reconciliation Commission, former Deputy-Chairperson of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission)

Dipak Patel, (former Director-General of Transport in the South African Government and senior officer of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress)

Dr Fazel Randera, (former Commissioner of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, former Inspector-General of Intelligence, former National Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Committee)

Mary Burton (former Commissioner of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, former President of the Black Sash, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the University of Cape Town, Recipient of National Order of Luthuli Award)